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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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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: hand · staff · ground · march · court · stock · perch · charge

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. charge — in control
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. march — music
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. court — of law
  9. charge — electricity
  10. march — the month
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stock — goods
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — a price
  21. ground — the earth
  22. court — of a king
  23. hand — help
  24. stock — shares

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