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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: stock · capital · club · mark · race · sharp · track · pitch

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stock — shares
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. capital — money
  7. track — to keep track
  8. club — a group
  9. pitch — completely
  10. club — for golf
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. race — humankind
  13. track — a song
  14. sharp — clever
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. race — a contest
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stock — goods

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