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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. land — ground
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. charge — a price
  6. net — for catching
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a path
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. net — in sport
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stock — shares
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. charge — in control
  20. net — after costs
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ball — a great time

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