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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 · present · track · fall · rash · chip · stock · spring

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. track — a path
  4. rash — a series
  5. spring — the season
  6. stock — shares
  7. capital — money
  8. present — a gift
  9. chip — for betting
  10. track — to keep track
  11. present — the time now
  12. fall — the season
  13. track — a song
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — goods
  16. present — there
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. spring — of water

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