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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. charge — electricity
  4. content — happy
  5. branch — a division
  6. charge — in control
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stock — goods
  11. roll — a list
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — shares
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — a price
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. march — music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. content — videos and posts

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