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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · fan · fine · mouse · bat · stock · mate · spring

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. spring — the season
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. fine — all right
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spring — of water
  24. mate — a partner

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com