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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: lash · club · hand · rest · stock · capital · scale · chip

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. club — a group
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — for dancing
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. club — for golf
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stock — goods
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. scale — in music
  15. rest — a break
  16. stock — shares
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chip — for betting

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