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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 120 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: charge · hand · file · ruler · spell · clip · stock · bowl

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. hand — help
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — a video
  15. stock — shares
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. charge — in control
  20. spell — letters
  21. file — a line of people
  22. charge — a price
  23. file — a document
  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