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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · pit · chair · land · march · stock · toast · charge

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. charge — a price
  3. toast — bread
  4. pit — in a race
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. charge — in control
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — ground
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. charge — electricity

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