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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — shares
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — army training
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. season — in sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. charge — a price
  17. stock — goods
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. charge — in control
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. drill — a practice

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