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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · charge · game · prune · kid · lie · stock · board

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. board — to get on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. board — a committee
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. stock — shares
  12. charge — electricity
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — goods
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. kid — child
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chair — a leader
  24. charge — a price

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