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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: trunk · bowl · deal · last · stock · mark · charge · game

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. charge — electricity
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — finally
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stock — goods
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stock — shares
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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