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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. rock — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. stock — goods
  5. rock — a stone
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stock — shares
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. field — a subject
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. field — farmland
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. charge — electricity
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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