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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. charge — in control
  5. spring — the season
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stock — goods
  8. root — of a word
  9. court — of a king
  10. root — the cause
  11. charge — electricity
  12. current — electric
  13. stock — shares
  14. root — of a plant
  15. current — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. court — of law
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. charge — a price
  21. season — in sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. deal — to handle
  24. current — happening now

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