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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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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 · rest · wave · straw · bay · cell · net · pit

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stock — goods
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — in sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cell — a phone
  7. net — after costs
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rest — a break
  19. stock — shares
  20. net — for catching
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pit — in a race

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