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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 120 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: season · ball · stand · scale · current · capital · net · stock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stock — shares
  6. current — of water
  7. stand — to bear
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — goods
  10. scale — in music
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — in sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. scale — size or range
  18. season — of the year
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — after costs
  21. current — happening now
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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