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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: straw · stock · capital · stand · game · track · bound · patient

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. game — wild animals
  5. capital — a city
  6. bound — obliged
  7. track — to keep track
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — money
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — a path
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a match
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bound — certain
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. straw — dry grass

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