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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · chair · pit · tear · charge · bank

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stock — goods
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. charge — a price
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bank — of a river
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pit — a hole
  17. charge — in control
  18. chair — a leader

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