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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 116 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: mug · hide · ball · pop · straw · stock · charge · wake

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. mug — a face
  4. stock — shares
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stock — goods
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pop — soda
  24. hide — to keep secret

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