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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: present · prune · capital · cue · cap · stock · race · lie

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. present — the time now
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. capital — money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cue — for pool
  17. race — humankind
  18. cue — a hint
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. race — a contest
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stock — shares
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stock — goods

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