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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: file · stock · ball · shower · charge · land · suit · chest

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. charge — in control
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — a price
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. suit — to fit
  11. file — a line of people
  12. land — ground
  13. ball — a dance
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stock — shares
  16. suit — in cards
  17. file — a document
  18. stock — goods
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — to come down
  21. ball — a great time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. charge — electricity

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