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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
468
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: press · drill · fork · charge · wound · race · net · stock

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. net — for catching
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. press — to push
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — a practice
  9. charge — a price
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. net — after costs
  12. press — a publisher
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. drill — army training
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — shares
  19. charge — in control
  20. race — the arms race
  21. net — in sport
  22. press — newspapers
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stock — goods

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