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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: jam · kid · mark · cap · capital · sharp · band · stock

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cap — a lid
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cap — of ice
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. capital — a city
  8. stock — shares
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. capital — money
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cap — a hat
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. stock — goods
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — child

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