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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · mate · cell · calf · present · file

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. present — a gift
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stock — goods
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. file — a document
  11. present — there
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — shares
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mate — a friend
  16. present — the time now
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. calf — a young animal

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