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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. root — of a word
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. band — a ring
  11. stock — goods
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cell — in biology
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hand — help
  19. band — a music group
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. toast — bread
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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