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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: cell · present · toast · wake · rash · stock · straw · ball

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. toast — bread
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rash — a series
  24. straw — a straw man

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