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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. charge — in control
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stock — shares
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. charge — a price
  11. ground — a position
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stock — goods
  21. ground — the earth
  22. tube — a container
  23. rash — hasty
  24. dip — to dunk

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