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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 116 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — the season
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stock — goods
  7. field — a subject
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spring — of water
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. march — music
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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