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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · cold · safe · stock · craft · bass · suit · capital

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. craft — a skill
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bass — the fish
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bass — low music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. suit — to fit
  22. stock — shares
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stock — goods

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