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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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Word bank
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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: chair · rest · stock · scale · face · lie · season · charge

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. charge — a price
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. charge — in control
  6. season — in sport
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to confront
  18. stock — shares
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stock — goods
  22. lie — to recline
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. charge — electricity

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