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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 · file · cabinet · capital · present · rest

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stock — shares
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — goods
  8. capital — money
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — a city
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there

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