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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: mouse · charge · bear · row · stock · cold · jam · vault

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stock — shares
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cold — an illness
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. charge — in control
  17. stock — goods
  18. bear — the animal
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. vault — a safe
  21. row — a line
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cold — not warm

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