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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. charge — a price
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. stock — goods
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kid — child
  13. tear — to rip
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tear — from crying
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. charge — in control
  24. toast — bread

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