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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: date · march · board · stock · toast · capital · rush · cap

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. board — to get on
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cap — of ice
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. toast — bread
  8. board — a committee
  9. cap — a lid
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. march — music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stock — goods
  21. capital — a city
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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