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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stock — goods
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — a price
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. file — a tool
  16. charge — electricity
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. charge — in control
  24. safe — out of danger

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