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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tube — the underground
  3. snap — to click
  4. swing — to play on
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. swing — music
  8. tube — a container
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stock — shares
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stock — goods
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. charge — a price
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. shower — rain
  24. charge — in control

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