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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pound — a weight
  5. charge — in control
  6. stock — goods
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stock — shares
  10. land — ground
  11. charge — a price
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. land — a country
  14. cell — in biology
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mate — a partner
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mate — a friend
  23. land — to come down
  24. cold — an illness

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