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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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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — magic
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. charge — in control
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. board — a committee
  9. charge — a price
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. board — to get on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. march — the month
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. march — the month
  23. charge — electricity
  24. stock — shares

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