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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: field · scale · track · march · chip · charge · stock · saw

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. field — farmland
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. scale — size or range
  10. track — a song
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. chip — for betting
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. march — the month
  16. track — to keep track
  17. field — for sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. scale — in music
  20. track — a path
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. field — a subject

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