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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: foot · game · cue · bat · stock · tear · charge · rash

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stock — goods
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stock — shares
  13. foot — a measure
  14. tear — to rip
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cue — a hint
  20. charge — a price
  21. cue — a signal
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rash — on the skin

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