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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stock — shares
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. shower — rain
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — in biology
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. field — a subject
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. field — for sport

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