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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. charge — electricity
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. charge — in control
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hand — in cards
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hand — help
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — a trace
  17. charge — a price
  18. stock — shares
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — goods
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ground — a position

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