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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: game · stock · land · charge · field · mug · calf · arm

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mug — a cup
  4. field — for sport
  5. charge — in control
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — wild animals
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — goods
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. charge — a price
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — a country
  15. game — a match
  16. land — to come down
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. charge — electricity
  21. field — a subject
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. land — ground
  24. stock — shares

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