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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: bat · charge · pop · spell · rest · board · kid · stock

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — in control
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pop — music
  9. kid — child
  10. pop — soda
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. board — to get on
  18. stock — goods
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. board — a committee
  21. stock — shares
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. board — a flat piece

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