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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. object — a thing
  3. stock — shares
  4. last — final
  5. track — to keep track
  6. object — to protest
  7. last — to go on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. last — finally
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. scale — size or range
  13. dip — to sink
  14. object — an aim
  15. track — a song
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. scale — in music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — a path
  24. stock — goods

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