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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. ground — a position
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stock — shares
  24. wound — an injury

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