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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: fall · pound · rock · chair · stick · charge · pop · stock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stock — goods
  3. pop — soda
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rock — music
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fall — the season
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pound — a weight
  17. charge — a price
  18. stock — shares
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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