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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · stock · rash · cap · stand · cell · jam · face

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. face — to confront
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stock — goods
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. face — to point toward
  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