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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: rock · stock · cap · charge · hide · row · nail · bat

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. charge — a price
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — shares
  18. charge — electricity
  19. stock — goods
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  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