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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: capital · game · dip · fall · drill · stock · hand · arm

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hand — help
  4. fall — the season
  5. drill — army training
  6. capital — a city
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — money
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — the tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — goods
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. game — a match
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — wild animals
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. capital — a big letter

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