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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — a practice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — to tease
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — child
  17. spell — letters
  18. drill — the tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — a short time
  21. charge — in control
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — magic

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