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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: stock · toast · capital · hide · spring · press · bound · game

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stock — shares
  6. spring — of water
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. press — to push
  9. spring — a coil
  10. game — wild animals
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. game — a match
  19. capital — a city
  20. spring — the season
  21. stock — goods
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bound — certain
  24. capital — money

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