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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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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. capital — money
  3. stock — goods
  4. capital — a city
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bank — of a river
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bank — for money
  15. season — of the year
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — in sport
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. charge — in control
  23. stock — shares
  24. season — to add flavour

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