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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: kid · stock · game · can · saw · charge · root · fine

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. charge — a price
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. game — wild animals
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — to be able to
  10. charge — in control
  11. stock — shares
  12. can — a tin
  13. kid — child
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. charge — electricity
  17. root — of a word
  18. can — a tin
  19. kid — to tease
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. root — the cause
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. game — a match

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