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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — a box
  3. charge — in control
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — a price
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. stock — a soup base

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