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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. stock — goods
  2. shower — rain
  3. charge — a price
  4. stock — shares
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. charge — electricity
  12. swing — music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. plane — a tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. shower — to wash
  21. charge — in control
  22. band — a music group
  23. swing — to play on
  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