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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. track — to keep track
  6. swing — to play on
  7. chip — for betting
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. charge — in control
  13. stock — shares
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stock — goods
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. charge — electricity
  22. swing — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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