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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: charge · pop · deal · last · bat · fan · arm · stock

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. last — finally
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — soda
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pop — music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stock — shares
  22. charge — in control
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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