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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 120 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: mug · mark · pitch · stock · land · calf · shower · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitch — completely
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — goods
  6. mark — a grade
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. land — ground
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mug — a face
  23. stock — shares
  24. mug — a cup

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