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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.

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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: chair · wave · pound · stock · capital · fall · key · racket

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fall — the season
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fall — to drop
  7. key — in music
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stock — goods
  11. capital — a city
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pound — a weight
  15. capital — money
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stock — shares
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chair — a professorship

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