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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: mug · stock · file · dip · cold · charge · march · key

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. key — in music
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — shares
  5. mug — a face
  6. file — a document
  7. charge — in control
  8. mug — to rob
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cold — an illness
  13. dip — to sink
  14. file — a tool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mug — a cup
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — goods
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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