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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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 — in a prison
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stock — goods
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mate — a partner
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. roll — a list
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rash — a series
  20. chair — a leader
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stock — shares
  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