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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. charge — in control
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. clip — to cut
  15. charge — a price
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. charge — electricity
  22. clip — a video
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — the arms race

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