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

Word bank: cell · drill · pit · stock · lash · cabinet · chest · bulb

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — army training
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chest — of your body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. chest — a box
  9. stock — goods
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in biology

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