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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · land · board · face · game · charge · mine · fork

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. face — to point toward
  4. charge — a price
  5. stock — goods
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. game — a match
  10. charge — electricity
  11. board — a committee
  12. fork — in a road
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. face — to confront
  19. land — a country
  20. stock — shares
  21. board — to get on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. face — part of the head

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