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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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. track — a song
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. kick — in football
  7. net — in sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. net — for catching
  15. wax — to grow
  16. track — a path
  17. hand — in cards
  18. last — to go on
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. charge — a price
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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