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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. net — after costs
  5. charge — in control
  6. stem — to come from
  7. charge — a price
  8. stock — goods
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cue — a hint
  11. stock — shares
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. kid — child
  19. cold — an illness
  20. net — for catching
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cue — for pool
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wave — of the sea

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