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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: charge · craft · ball · shower · stock · ground · mine · cap

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. craft — boats
  3. charge — a price
  4. ground — crushed
  5. charge — electricity
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. charge — in control
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mine — for digging
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cap — of ice
  19. shower — rain
  20. craft — a skill
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ground — a position

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