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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — shares
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. charge — a price
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. band — a music group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — in control
  18. stock — goods
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pass — a permit
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wind — moving air

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