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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · capital · clip · club · cap · mark · dip · stock

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stock — shares
  4. cap — a lid
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — money
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. club — for golf
  10. clip — a video
  11. cap — a hat
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. club — for dancing
  16. clip — to cut
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. stock — goods
  19. mark — a trace
  20. capital — a city
  21. clip — for paper
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cap — of ice

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