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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — for paper
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — a friend
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stock — shares
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lean — thin
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lean — to bend
  16. clip — to cut
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mate — a partner
  19. charge — a price
  20. foot — a measure
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. clip — a video
  24. lean — to rest against

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