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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. charge — a price
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stock — shares
  8. net — after costs
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stock — goods
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. charge — in control
  22. mark — a grade
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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