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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — goods
  10. lean — thin
  11. key — the most important part
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. charge — in control
  18. spring — of water
  19. charge — a price
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — the season
  23. key — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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