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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: mug · wound · stock · bound · capital · jam · court · pass

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. bound — certain
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bound — tied together
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. court — for sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — money
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bound — obliged

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