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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — goods
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pop — soda
  14. tube — the underground
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tube — a container
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stock — shares
  21. scale — in music
  22. cell — a phone
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. scale — size or range

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