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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cell — a phone
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — goods
  15. mate — a friend
  16. row — a line
  17. pitch — completely
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mate — to breed
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rock — music

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