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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. charge — in control
  4. pop — to visit
  5. can — to be able to
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pop — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. game — a match
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pop — soda
  13. stock — shares
  14. charge — a price
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. snap — to click
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rush — hurry
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — wild animals

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