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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: charge · bark · bear · court · rule · fall · stock · game

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. charge — a price
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — of a king
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rule — a law
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — goods
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rule — government
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stock — shares
  19. court — of law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — for sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. bark — to shout
  24. charge — in control

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