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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.

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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: stock · pit · scale · tube · fan · bear · capital · chip

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. capital — a city
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chip — for betting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pit — a hole
  17. scale — in music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. scale — size or range
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stock — goods

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