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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 120 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — shares
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stock — goods
  9. band — a ring
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bear — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — a match
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. band — a music group

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