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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: fork · bay · pitch · current · stock · chest · deal · charge

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — shares
  10. current — electric
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. charge — in control
  16. stock — goods
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chest — a box
  19. current — happening now
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. current — of water

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