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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. charge — in control
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — shares
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — in golf
  14. march — the month
  15. present — a gift
  16. stock — goods
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. march — music
  22. charge — a price
  23. swing — music
  24. present — there

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