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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. last — final
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. charge — electricity
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. last — finally
  13. stock — goods
  14. tube — the underground
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. last — to go on
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — a container

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