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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cell — a phone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. toast — bread
  7. court — for sport
  8. current — of water
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — shares
  11. current — electric
  12. stock — goods
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. track — a path
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cell — in biology
  22. current — happening now
  23. court — of law
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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