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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — rain
  6. stock — shares
  7. snap — to click
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. charge — in control
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. band — a ring
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. shower — to wash
  19. charge — a price
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. band — a music group
  22. rash — a series
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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