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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 · cell · jam · drill · stock · march · coach · dip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. drill — army training
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stock — goods
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stock — shares
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — music
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. charge — in control
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — the tool
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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