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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bore — to tire
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — shares
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lean — thin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stock — goods
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — the sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stock — a soup base

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