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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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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: perch · march · mark · mouse · game · bat · stock · charge

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. march — music
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. charge — electricity
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stock — shares
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. perch — the fish
  23. charge — in control
  24. game — a match

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