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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: object · cell · sharp · chest · stock · content · squash · pit

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stock — goods
  5. object — an aim
  6. sharp — clever
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chest — a box
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chest — of your body
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. object — a thing
  18. stock — shares
  19. object — to protest
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chest — of your body

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