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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. charge — electricity
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. craft — boats
  5. charge — a price
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. charge — in control
  15. stock — shares
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — goods
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fall — the season
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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