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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: chest · mate · stock · charge · field · deal · fine · fan

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. charge — in control
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stock — goods
  8. charge — a price
  9. stock — shares
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. fine — all right
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — a subject
  23. mate — to breed
  24. deal — an agreement

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