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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: bore · game · rush · charge · cap · swing · dip · stock

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cap — a lid
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rush — hurry
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stock — goods
  13. charge — in control
  14. cap — of ice
  15. game — a match
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bore — to drill
  19. swing — music
  20. stock — shares
  21. dip — to sink
  22. charge — a price
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. swing — in golf

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