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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 · charge · saw · hand · rash · fine · last · stick

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. last — final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. hand — in cards
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. last — finally
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stock — goods
  16. fine — all right
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rash — a series
  20. charge — in control
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fine — a penalty

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