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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: season · roll · drill · charge · coach · arm · stock · snap

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. snap — to click
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — a list
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. season — of the year
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. charge — in control
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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