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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. charge — in control
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stock — goods
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. row — a line

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