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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: club · cold · firm · stock · current · stick · charge · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stock — goods
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. firm — decided
  9. charge — electricity
  10. club — for dancing
  11. current — of water
  12. court — of law
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — an illness
  15. club — for golf
  16. current — happening now
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. stock — shares
  20. current — electric
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — of a king
  23. club — a group
  24. charge — in control

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