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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — shares
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — in football
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. swing — music
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stock — goods
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cell — in biology
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — with an edge

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