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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. charge — a price
  4. club — for dancing
  5. firm — decided
  6. stock — goods
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cold — not warm
  9. content — the amount
  10. firm — a company
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. content — happy
  17. club — for golf
  18. tear — from crying
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stock — shares
  23. tear — from crying
  24. saw — the tool

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