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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. charge — a price
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — magic
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stock — goods
  11. band — a music group
  12. scale — in music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stock — shares
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. charge — in control
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spell — letters
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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