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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: cabinet · hand · mouse · stock · deal · capital · bound · track

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — a path
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — a city
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hand — help
  14. track — a song
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. hand — in cards
  18. capital — money
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stock — shares
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bound — certain
  24. cabinet — ministers

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