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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. charge — in control
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stock — shares
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. date — the fruit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — in music
  11. branch — a division
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitch — completely
  16. land — a country
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. land — ground
  21. scale — size or range
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. leaves — to go away

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