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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. charge — a price
  4. game — wild animals
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a match
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. craft — a skill
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. charge — electricity
  17. craft — boats
  18. present — the time now
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — goods
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. charge — in control

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