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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: bat · capital · wave · staff · stand · stock · track · rock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — a song
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. staff — employees
  14. track — to keep track
  15. capital — money
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — a path
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. capital — a big letter

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