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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. stock — shares
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stock — goods
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. charge — electricity
  12. court — of a king
  13. roll — a cake
  14. track — a song
  15. last — final
  16. track — to keep track
  17. court — for sport
  18. track — a path
  19. stand — to bear
  20. last — to go on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — finally
  23. court — of law
  24. stand — on your feet

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