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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: clip · cell · cold · track · mug · racket · stock · safe

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. track — to keep track
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. track — a path
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stock — shares
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mug — a face
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — a cup
  19. track — a song
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — an illness

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