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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stock — shares
  4. kid — child
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. saw — the tool
  8. charge — a price
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — help
  23. charge — in control
  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