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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 120 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 · capital · cap · hide · stock · bound · dip · straw

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cap — a hat
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. present — a gift
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bound — tied together
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — goods
  16. capital — money
  17. present — there
  18. bound — certain
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a city
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — the time now
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — a big letter

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