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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · mug · cap · charge · stock · fan · wind · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stock — goods
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. charge — in control
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — a price
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — a lid
  15. charge — electricity
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mug — a face
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — shares
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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