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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mug — to rob
  5. land — a country
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mug — a face
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — shares
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cabinet — ministers

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