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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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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: bass · stock · squash · fork · charge · pitch · cold · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. charge — in control
  3. bass — low music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cold — not warm
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cell — a phone
  15. charge — a price
  16. bass — the fish
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fork — in a road
  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