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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — to come down
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hand — in cards
  10. land — a country
  11. hand — help
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. present — a gift
  14. cell — a phone
  15. land — ground
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. present — the time now
  19. stock — shares
  20. present — there
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ball — a dance

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