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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: stock · rule · bore · bay · arm · track · lean · cell

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cell — a phone
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lean — thin
  10. stock — goods
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. arm — a part of something

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