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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bass — low music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. hand — help
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stock — goods
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cell — in a prison

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