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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: march · net · deal · game · suit · capital · track · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. net — after costs
  3. stock — goods
  4. net — for catching
  5. capital — money
  6. game — wild animals
  7. track — a path
  8. deal — to handle
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a song
  11. suit — clothes
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stock — shares
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. march — music
  21. suit — to fit
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. game — a match
  24. suit — in cards

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