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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: hand · charge · rash · last · stock · spell · chip · bowl

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stock — shares
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — a series
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. charge — in control
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spell — letters
  12. stock — goods
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. charge — a price
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. spell — magic
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — help

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