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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stock — goods
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — a price
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — the season
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. charge — in control
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — hurry
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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