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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 116 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: bear · charge · swing · track · ball · stock · cell · pop

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. swing — to play on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. swing — in golf
  10. charge — in control
  11. swing — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. ball — a great time
  14. charge — a price
  15. cell — in biology
  16. track — a path
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. stock — shares
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pop — music

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