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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cell — in biology
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stock — goods
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pit — a hole
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — to come from
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — to wash
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. game — a match

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