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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 116 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: court · bat · chip · stock · rash · charge · board · fall

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. charge — in control
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — for sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. charge — electricity
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stock — goods
  18. chip — for betting
  19. court — of law
  20. fall — the season
  21. board — to get on
  22. charge — a price
  23. board — a committee
  24. bat — the animal

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