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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: charge · bowl · rest · stock · bass · rule · mark · season

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. charge — electricity
  3. season — of the year
  4. bass — low music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rule — a law
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rule — government
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. charge — a price
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mark — a grade
  17. season — in sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. charge — in control
  24. stock — goods

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