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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cell — a phone
  3. roll — a list
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — a group
  7. stock — shares
  8. fine — high quality
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — all right
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. net — after costs
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. club — for golf
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. net — in sport
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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