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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: club · fine · track · charge · stock · sharp · cold · swing

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. track — a song
  3. swing — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. charge — a price
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. club — a group
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — a path
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cold — an illness
  17. swing — in golf
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cold — not warm
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. stock — shares
  23. charge — in control
  24. stock — goods

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