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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — a lid
  5. game — a match
  6. root — of a word
  7. stock — goods
  8. root — the cause
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rest — a break
  19. wound — an injury
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a plant
  24. charge — in control

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