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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 · rock · cap · jam · stock · charge · face · root

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. face — to confront
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. charge — electricity
  6. root — of a word
  7. cap — a lid
  8. root — of a plant
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rock — music
  13. stock — goods
  14. charge — a price
  15. capital — a city
  16. cap — a hat
  17. root — the cause
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. charge — in control
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. stock — shares
  23. capital — money
  24. face — to point toward

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