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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stock — goods
  3. club — a group
  4. deal — to handle
  5. charge — a price
  6. club — for golf
  7. clip — for paper
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. band — a music group
  10. charge — in control
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stock — shares
  13. branch — a division
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. band — a ring
  17. club — for dancing
  18. clip — a video
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. clip — to cut
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ruler — for measuring

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