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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stock — goods
  4. season — in sport
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. file — a line of people
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. charge — a price
  10. season — of the year
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a document
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stock — shares
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. charge — in control
  19. cold — not warm
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cold — an illness
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. file — a 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