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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. charge — a price
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. capital — money
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. charge — in control
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bank — for money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — the sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. charge — electricity
  24. capital — a big letter

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