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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — a hint
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kid — child
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. charge — in control
  10. pop — to visit
  11. branch — a division
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stock — goods
  14. charge — a price
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stock — shares
  17. pop — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — soda
  24. coach — a trainer

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