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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · capital · wave · bore · cabinet · chip · swing · stock

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stock — shares
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bore — to tire
  5. swing — in golf
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rock — music
  12. stock — goods
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. swing — music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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