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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 · pop · rash · charge · bulb · fine · stock · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pop — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fine — high quality
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. charge — in control
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stock — goods
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fine — all right

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