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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: chair · can · march · charge · stick · deal · perch · court

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. court — of a king
  4. can — a tin
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. march — music
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. court — of law
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. charge — electricity
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. can — to be able to
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — the month
  20. court — for sport
  21. chair — a leader
  22. perch — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — for a bird

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