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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: capital · racket · net · calf · chip · stock · rash · perch

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. chip — for betting
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — for catching
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. capital — money
  24. stock — shares

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