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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mate — to breed
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. charge — a price
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. charge — electricity
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stock — shares
  15. clip — a video
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — in control
  21. mate — a friend
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mate — a partner
  24. face — to point toward

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