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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 120 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: stock · ground · rush · capital · charge · field · stick · hide

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ground — the earth
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. field — a subject
  11. capital — a city
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. charge — electricity
  15. capital — money
  16. charge — a price
  17. ground — crushed
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ground — a position
  22. charge — in control
  23. stock — goods
  24. rush — hurry

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