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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: bat · cell · lean · rush · jam · roll · pound · stock

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bat — the animal
  6. roll — a list
  7. stock — goods
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stock — shares
  12. cell — a phone
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lean — thin
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lean — to bend

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