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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
468
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 · roll · kid · cell · game · safe · track · mark

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stock — shares
  3. game — wild animals
  4. roll — a list
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — a match
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — to keep track
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. track — a path
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. track — a song
  18. mark — a trace
  19. kid — child
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stock — goods

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