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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · chair · scale · stock · net · sharp · bound · charge

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. scale — in music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cap — a hat
  6. charge — a price
  7. stock — goods
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. chair — a leader
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stock — shares
  12. bound — certain
  13. scale — size or range
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. charge — in control
  16. cap — a lid
  17. net — in sport
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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