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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: stock · pound · ball · fork · charge · coach · roll · season

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stock — goods
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pound — a weight
  7. ball — a great time
  8. charge — a price
  9. roll — a cake
  10. charge — in control
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. roll — a list
  16. stock — shares
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. charge — electricity
  19. season — in sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. season — of the year
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ball — a round shape

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