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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: coach · capital · fine · pass · row · stock · deal · jam

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. deal — to handle
  3. capital — a city
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stock — goods
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pass — a permit
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. fine — all right
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stock — shares
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — a line
  24. fine — a penalty

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