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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. spring — of water
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stock — shares
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — goods
  21. rest — a break
  22. charge — a price
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. face — to confront

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