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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — a song
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — shares
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. pop — to visit
  12. key — the most important part
  13. net — in sport
  14. track — to keep track
  15. key — in music
  16. track — a path
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. key — for a lock
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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