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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. charge — electricity
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stock — goods
  10. charge — a price
  11. capital — a city
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — a coil
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. capital — money
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. charge — in control
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stock — shares
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bat — the animal

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