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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. charge — in control
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — all right
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. charge — a price
  14. mate — a friend
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fine — high quality
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stock — shares
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stock — goods

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