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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. court — of a king
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — in music
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. stock — goods
  9. chest — a box
  10. stock — shares
  11. track — to keep track
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — letters
  19. track — a path
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. court — of law
  23. track — a song
  24. scale — size or range

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