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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: content · key · degree · stock · branch · charge · pitcher · sharp

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. content — the amount
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. sharp — clever
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. degree — from a university
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. key — in music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. content — happy
  23. charge — in control
  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