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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. can — a tin
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cold — not warm
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stock — shares
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. board — a committee
  21. stock — goods
  22. board — to get on
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pass — to spend time

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