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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: pop · stock · suit · wind · firm · lash · capital · sharp

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pop — soda
  3. capital — a city
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stock — goods
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. suit — clothes
  11. firm — steady
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pop — music
  15. suit — to fit
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — a company
  19. stock — shares
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. suit — in cards
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stock — a soup base

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