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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: stock · face · sharp · mate · tear · charge · hand · rock

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — in control
  4. rock — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. hand — help
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mate — a partner
  9. charge — a price
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mate — a friend
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stock — goods
  22. face — to confront
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hand — part of the body

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