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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. clip — to cut
  9. snap — to click
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. charge — a price
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stock — shares
  16. capital — a city
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — money
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stand — to bear

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