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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mark — a grade
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stock — shares
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stock — goods
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. charge — in control
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — an injury

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