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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stock — goods
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stock — shares
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hand — in cards
  8. season — in sport
  9. charge — a price
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. march — music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. march — the month
  14. season — of the year
  15. pop — music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pop — to visit
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kick — in football
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — the month
  22. mark — a trace
  23. charge — in control
  24. stock — a soup base

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