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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: rest · mark · roll · pitch · stock · cell · pop · capital

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. roll — a list
  4. pitch — completely
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. capital — money
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pop — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pop — to visit
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — soda
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rest — a break
  23. stock — goods
  24. rest — what's left

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