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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stock — shares
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — an amount
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bat — in an idiom

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