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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: stock · straw · bowl · arm · track · charge · pitcher · march

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. march — the month
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a path
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a song
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. charge — a price
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bowl — to roll

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