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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: stock · fork · band · capital · press · pitch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. capital — money
  8. stock — shares
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. press — to push
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stock — goods
  16. band — a ring
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. band — a music group

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