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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: charge · safe · mate · shower · sharp · row · plane · stock

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. charge — electricity
  3. row — a line
  4. stock — shares
  5. plane — a tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mate — a partner
  13. sharp — clever
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. shower — to wash
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. shower — rain
  20. mate — to breed
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mate — a friend
  24. row — to paddle

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