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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: arm · field · snap · ball · stock · band · charge · game

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ball — a great time
  3. band — a music group
  4. charge — a price
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. band — a ring
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stock — shares
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ball — a dance
  14. field — farmland
  15. charge — in control
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — a subject
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — goods
  22. field — for sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. snap — to click

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