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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pop — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stock — shares
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. charge — in control
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kick — in football
  21. pop — to visit
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — soda

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