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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: jam · mate · pitch · capital · court · fall · stock · club

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. capital — a city
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — of law
  8. fall — the season
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stock — goods
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mate — a partner
  15. court — of a king
  16. club — a group
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stock — shares
  20. club — for golf
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. court — for sport
  24. stock — a soup base

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