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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cell — in biology
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spell — magic
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. charge — in control
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. charge — a price
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rash — a series
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stock — goods
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stock — a soup base

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