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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stock — shares
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spell — letters
  9. charge — electricity
  10. tube — a container
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. spell — magic
  18. rash — a series
  19. stock — goods
  20. capital — a city
  21. charge — in control
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. charge — a price

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