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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: bay · sharp · charge · track · snap · stock · chair · spring

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. track — a path
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. track — a song
  9. charge — a price
  10. stock — shares
  11. charge — in control
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stock — goods
  18. chair — a leader
  19. spring — the season
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chair — a professorship

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