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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. charge — in control
  4. file — a document
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stock — goods
  8. ground — a position
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. charge — electricity
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stock — shares
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ground — the earth
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — a price
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rock — music
  24. bound — certain

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