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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: fork · pitcher · mug · club · stock · land · charge · clip

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fork — in a road
  11. charge — in control
  12. clip — a video
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — ground
  17. mug — a face
  18. charge — electricity
  19. land — to come down
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. club — a group
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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