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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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Word bank
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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: bass · patient · rest · sharp · game · stock · bat · charge

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stock — shares
  3. game — a match
  4. bass — low music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — goods
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — in control
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rest — a break
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bass — the fish
  13. charge — a price
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. game — wild animals
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. game — a kind of play

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