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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: stock · wind · last · racket · can · cell · deal · shower

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. can — a tin
  3. deal — to handle
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — goods
  6. can — to be able to
  7. last — finally
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — to go on
  10. shower — to wash
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. last — final
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. deal — a big deal

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