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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — ground
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — a country
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spring — the season
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — to come down
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — music
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bank — of a river
  24. band — a ring

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