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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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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: suit · race · toast · fork · stock · capital · chip · chest

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stock — shares
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. suit — clothes
  7. race — a contest
  8. capital — a city
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. race — humankind
  14. chip — for betting
  15. capital — money
  16. race — the arms race
  17. toast — bread
  18. stock — goods
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. chest — a box
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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