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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · charge · toast · tear · land · net · vault · capital

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — for catching
  3. stock — shares
  4. vault — a safe
  5. capital — money
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — in sport
  10. land — ground
  11. charge — in control
  12. land — to come down
  13. toast — bread
  14. land — a country
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. net — after costs
  18. stock — goods
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tear — to rip
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. capital — a city
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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