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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — goods
  5. bank — of a river
  6. charge — in control
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — army training
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. charge — a price
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — the tool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stock — shares
  20. bank — for money
  21. ball — a dance
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — clever

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