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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mark — a trace
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bass — the fish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — low music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chest — a box
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chest — of your body

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