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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: capital · bear · rock · bark · sharp · stock · game · charge

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stock — shares
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rock — music
  6. charge — in control
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. capital — money
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. sharp — clever
  20. capital — a city
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. charge — a price
  23. rock — a stone
  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