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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
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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: game · capital · cabinet · press · lie · craft · cold · stock

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a city
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stock — shares
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. craft — boats
  20. stock — goods
  21. press — a publisher
  22. game — a match
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — money

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