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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
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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: ground · stock · fan · charge · cabinet · game · scale · jam

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. scale — in music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — in control
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — a position
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ground — the earth
  21. scale — size or range
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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