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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — goods
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. row — a line
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — shares
  14. stem — to come from
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fine — all right
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — high quality
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. charge — a price
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. sharp — with an edge

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