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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: ball · file · cell · pop · wake · stock · cap · mug

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mug — a face
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — shares
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stock — goods
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cap — a lid
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ball — a great time
  16. file — a tool
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pop — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pop — soda
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mug — a cup

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