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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rash — a series
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. dip — to sink
  17. drill — army training
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — hasty

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