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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — a face
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stock — shares
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mug — to rob
  13. ground — a position
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. kid — to tease
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. kid — child
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chest — a box
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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