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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rash — a series
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — shares
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stand — to bear
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rash — hasty

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