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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — decided
  8. stock — goods
  9. spell — a short time
  10. clip — a video
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. stock — shares
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. clip — to cut
  18. shower — rain
  19. bear — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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