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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. charge — a price
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stock — shares
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. charge — electricity
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. charge — in control
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — goods

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