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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 · jam · rock · capital · court · wave · object · coach

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. object — an aim
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — a stone
  20. object — to protest
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. court — of a king
  23. object — a thing
  24. jam — a tight spot

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