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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — a city
  4. charge — a price
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. content — the amount
  10. snap — to click
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. charge — electricity
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — happy
  17. stock — shares
  18. charge — in control
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. capital — money
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. coach — a trainer

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