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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stock — shares
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — ground
  14. stock — goods
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. charge — in control
  19. foot — a measure
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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