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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. tube — the underground
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — to come down
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a document
  14. land — ground
  15. file — a line of people
  16. land — a country
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tube — a container
  20. stock — shares
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cell — in a prison

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