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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. game — a match
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tube — a container
  8. scale — in music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. season — of the year
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stock — goods
  15. craft — boats
  16. tube — the underground
  17. scale — size or range
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. craft — a skill
  22. swing — to play on
  23. season — in sport
  24. stock — shares

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