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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · capital · scale · racket · stock · stick

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. capital — a city
  3. scale — in music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. scale — size or range
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. capital — money
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base

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