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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. charge — a price
  3. stock — shares
  4. fall — the season
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stock — goods
  7. charge — in control
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. file — a document
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. file — a line of people
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — a stone
  23. file — a tool
  24. rock — music

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