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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — army training
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ball — a great time
  15. drill — a practice
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — shares
  20. board — to get on
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stock — goods

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