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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. charge — electricity
  3. craft — a skill
  4. swing — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — shares
  7. object — to protest
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. charge — in control
  15. press — to push
  16. swing — to play on
  17. object — an aim
  18. swing — in golf
  19. craft — boats
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. press — newspapers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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