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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. charge — electricity
  6. court — of law
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — of a king
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. charge — in control
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. charge — a price
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mate — a partner
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. court — for sport

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