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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stock — goods
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stock — shares
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tube — the underground
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — a container
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mine — for digging
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  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