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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.

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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. charge — a price
  3. net — for catching
  4. bound — certain
  5. stock — shares
  6. charge — in control
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — in sport
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stock — goods
  18. foot — a measure
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bound — obliged
  21. net — after costs
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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