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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: safe · capital · rush · scale · board · coach · cold · stock

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — goods
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rush — hurry
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. capital — a city
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stock — shares
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. scale — in music
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. capital — money

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