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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cell — a phone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. band — a music group
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cell — in biology
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. content — the amount
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — goods
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. content — happy
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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