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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: capital · stock · can · club · snap · coach · net · chair

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — a city
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to click
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. club — for golf
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stock — shares
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — in sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chair — a leader
  18. net — after costs
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. capital — money
  24. net — for catching

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