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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: club · field · jam · charge · stock · roll · net · lash

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — for catching
  6. club — a group
  7. roll — a list
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — for sport
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. charge — in control
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. net — in sport
  18. roll — a cake
  19. club — for golf
  20. charge — electricity
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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