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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: land · court · saw · root · charge · club · press · stock

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. club — for dancing
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — shares
  7. club — for golf
  8. charge — in control
  9. land — ground
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of a king
  12. root — of a word
  13. land — a country
  14. club — a group
  15. press — to push
  16. court — for sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. charge — electricity
  19. press — newspapers
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. root — the cause
  22. land — to come down
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stock — goods

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