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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · land · mate · rule · charge · stock · roll · kid

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. firm — steady
  5. stock — shares
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. charge — electricity
  9. roll — a list
  10. rule — government
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. land — to come down
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stock — goods
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. land — a country
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. land — ground
  23. charge — in control
  24. kid — to tease

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