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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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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: racket · drill · stock · rock · shower · march · charge · fall

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. charge — electricity
  4. drill — a practice
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rock — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — goods
  9. march — music
  10. stock — shares
  11. shower — rain
  12. fall — the season
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. charge — in control
  15. rock — a stone
  16. shower — to wash
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. charge — a price
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fall — to drop
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. march — the month
  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