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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: game · arm · drill · band · stock · mug · cell · mate

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cell — a phone
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stock — goods
  6. cell — in biology
  7. band — a music group
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. mate — a friend
  14. game — a match
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mate — to breed
  18. drill — army training
  19. mug — a face
  20. game — wild animals
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. arm — part of the 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