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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — low music
  3. stock — goods
  4. deal — to handle
  5. charge — in control
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — all right
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stock — shares
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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