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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. charge — in control
  3. mark — a grade
  4. charge — a price
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mark — a trace
  11. march — music
  12. rash — a series
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chip — for betting
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. march — the month
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chip — to eat

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