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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bear — the animal
  4. charge — a price
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mate — to breed
  16. charge — in control
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. charge — electricity
  24. lean — thin

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