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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. drill — a practice
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. charge — in control
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. drill — army training
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. drill — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. charge — a price
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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