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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: stand · stock · fan · net · capital · degree · rest · cue

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stock — shares
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — a city
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. degree — from a university
  9. capital — money
  10. rest — a break
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — after costs
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — in sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fan — a supporter

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