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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 116 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: pass · capital · bank · pitch · coach · bound · press · stock

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bound — tied together
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bank — for money
  8. stock — shares
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. press — newspapers
  12. capital — money
  13. bank — for money
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stock — goods
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bank — of a river

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