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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: stock · squash · file · charge · face · race · roll · mine

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a document
  4. race — a contest
  5. charge — a price
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mine — for digging
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. file — a tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. race — humankind
  19. roll — a cake
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. face — to point toward
  23. charge — electricity
  24. stock — goods

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