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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: cell · can · snap · stand · degree · stock · court · bat

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. court — of law
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. court — of a king
  7. bat — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. stock — shares
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. snap — to click
  13. cell — in biology
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stock — goods
  19. degree — temperature
  20. can — a tin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. degree — from a university
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. degree — an amount

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