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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 116 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 · stock · bark · charge · mark · row · degree · key

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — an amount
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bark — to shout
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. charge — electricity
  12. key — in music
  13. charge — in control
  14. mark — a trace
  15. row — a line
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. charge — a price

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