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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: mark · foot · land · stock · capital · season · rest · cue

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — of the year
  3. rest — what's left
  4. capital — money
  5. cue — for pool
  6. capital — a city
  7. land — to come down
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — goods
  12. rest — a break
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. land — a country
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. season — in sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mark — a grade

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