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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. stock — goods
  6. last — final
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. charge — in control
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — low music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bass — the fish

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