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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: club · cap · capital · cell · current · stock · dip · track

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cap — of ice
  4. current — of water
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. club — for golf
  7. track — to keep track
  8. club — a group
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — a song
  11. club — for dancing
  12. current — electric
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cap — a hat
  15. track — a path
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cell — a phone
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. dip — to sink
  23. capital — a city
  24. current — happening now

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