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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 · file · mouse · racket · cap · cell · drill · capital

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. file — a tool
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. capital — a city
  7. stock — shares
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stock — goods
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — army training
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cell — a phone
  18. file — a line of people
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. file — a document

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