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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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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: leaves · bound · capital · sharp · rush · stock · deal · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — a city
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bound — obliged
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stock — shares
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. present — there
  15. capital — money
  16. present — the time now
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stock — goods
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bound — tied together
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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