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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 116 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: cell · press · perch · charge · mug · stock · spell · game

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stock — shares
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mug — a face
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. charge — a price
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. press — to push
  16. spell — magic
  17. perch — the fish
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — in control

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