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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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Word bank
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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. stock — goods
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. charge — in control
  12. wound — an injury
  13. charge — electricity
  14. land — ground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — the season

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