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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: pit · mouse · leaves · shower · staff · cell · stock · pitcher

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stock — shares
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stock — goods
  6. pit — a hole
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. shower — rain
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cell — in a prison

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