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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: stock · safe · charge · ground · court · rash · branch · sharp

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of law
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. court — of a king
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. charge — a price
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stock — goods
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rash — hasty
  13. sharp — clever
  14. branch — a division
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — a series
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. charge — in control
  20. stock — shares
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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