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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: cell · sharp · trunk · net · ball · stock · straw · game

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — in sport
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — after costs
  14. game — a match
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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