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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. clip — for paper
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — a video
  7. charge — a price
  8. root — of a word
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stock — shares
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stock — goods
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. staff — a stick
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — in control
  22. root — the cause
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — belonging to me

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