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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bat — the animal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. root — the cause
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. root — of a word
  16. stock — shares
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. roll — a list
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stock — goods
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. roll — a cake

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