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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rash — a series
  4. stock — goods
  5. charge — in control
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — shares
  9. content — happy
  10. roll — a cake
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. content — the amount
  15. ground — a position
  16. roll — a list
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rash — hasty
  24. charge — a price

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