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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: march · charge · calf · firm · stock · chip · spell · cold

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. spell — magic
  6. chip — to eat
  7. stock — goods
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. spell — letters
  11. march — music
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. firm — steady
  19. charge — a price
  20. firm — a company
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cold — an illness
  23. firm — decided
  24. chip — for betting

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