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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — goods
  4. press — newspapers
  5. roll — a list
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. row — to paddle
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. press — to push
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spring — of water
  15. stock — shares
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. game — wild animals
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cell — in biology
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. press — a publisher
  23. row — a line
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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