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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. charge — a price
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stock — goods
  13. charge — electricity
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ground — crushed
  19. staff — employees
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. charge — in control
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — an aircraft

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