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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 116 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: object · capital · club · nail · stand · stock · last · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stock — shares
  3. capital — money
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. club — for golf
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. capital — a city
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. object — to protest
  13. last — final
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. stock — goods
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. club — a group
  19. object — an aim
  20. club — for dancing
  21. last — finally
  22. object — a thing
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stand — to bear

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