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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wake — a trail
  9. land — a country
  10. cell — a phone
  11. land — ground
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. land — to come down
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stock — shares
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stock — goods
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ball — a great 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