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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 124 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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stock — shares
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stock — goods
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cell — a phone
  13. chip — for betting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. shower — rain
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cell — in biology
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — to wash
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. face — to confront
  24. racket — for tennis

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