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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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468
Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ground — crushed
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. ground — a position
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. land — a country
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kick — in football
  21. mark — a trace
  22. squash — the sport
  23. land — ground
  24. kick — a thrill

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