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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: bear · dip · capital · racket · track · suit · stock · file

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. track — a song
  5. stock — shares
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. file — a tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — a city
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stock — goods
  22. file — a document
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. track — to keep track

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