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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. can — a tin
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. can — a tin
  13. charge — a price
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cold — an illness
  16. charge — electricity
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — to be able to
  21. shower — rain
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. charge — in control
  24. cold — not warm

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