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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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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: file · charge · stock · fork · bulb · bowl · ground · cell

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. file — a document
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ground — a position
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stock — goods
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. file — a tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stock — shares
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ground — crushed
  24. charge — in control

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