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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: fall · safe · pass · bound · capital · key · stock · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stock — goods
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bound — certain
  12. key — the most important part
  13. capital — money
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. capital — a city
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fall — the season
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. key — in music
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — a path

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