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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. charge — in control
  10. fall — the season
  11. court — of a king
  12. stock — goods
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — to play on
  15. march — music
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. court — of law
  20. march — the month
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stock — shares

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