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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: stock · game · fan · net · capital · wound · calf · charge

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stock — goods
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stock — shares
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — for catching
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. capital — a city
  15. charge — a price
  16. net — in sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — money
  20. game — a match
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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