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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. land — ground
  3. row — to paddle
  4. land — to come down
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wake — a trail
  7. row — a line
  8. stock — goods
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mark — a grade
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — shares
  13. club — a group
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cell — in biology

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