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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. object — an aim
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. hand — help
  14. object — to protest
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chip — for betting
  20. court — of law
  21. chip — to eat
  22. charge — in control
  23. object — a thing
  24. season — to add flavour

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