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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 120 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: plane · fine · stock · rock · kid · face · charge · land

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — a country
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. land — to come down
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — ground
  12. fine — all right
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — music
  16. fine — high quality
  17. charge — a price
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rock — a stone

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