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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: chest · bore · rock · stock · row · rash · charge · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. charge — electricity
  8. capital — a city
  9. rash — hasty
  10. row — a line
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rock — music
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. charge — in control
  17. chest — a box
  18. charge — a price
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — to tire

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