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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · press · lie · foot · wind · object · ball · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stock — shares
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. capital — a city
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lie — to recline
  12. press — to push
  13. object — to protest
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. foot — a measure
  21. object — a thing
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. object — an aim

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