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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: wake · rule · chip · charge · land · perch · stock · hand

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. charge — a price
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. land — a country
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. perch — the fish
  7. land — ground
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rule — government
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — in cards
  15. charge — electricity
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. charge — in control
  19. hand — help
  20. land — to come down
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stock — goods

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