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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: ruler · stock · mark · calf · land · current · capital · fine

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fine — all right
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. capital — money
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stock — goods
  10. land — a country
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. capital — a city
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. current — of water
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — happening now
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. current — electric

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