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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: band · current · court · staff · press · stock · rule · charge

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. band — a ring
  3. staff — a stick
  4. charge — electricity
  5. court — of law
  6. current — happening now
  7. press — a publisher
  8. charge — in control
  9. current — electric
  10. rule — government
  11. press — newspapers
  12. charge — a price
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. current — of water
  16. press — to push
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a music group
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. court — for sport
  23. stock — goods
  24. court — of a king

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