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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — rain
  7. charge — electricity
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. charge — in control
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — a trail
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. shower — to wash
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stock — shares
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wake — before a funeral

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