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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: fall · coach · ball · stock · bank · capital · club · degree

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — goods
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. capital — money
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — a group
  8. bank — of a river
  9. degree — temperature
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stock — shares
  12. degree — from a university
  13. capital — a city
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a great time
  17. club — for dancing
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bank — for money
  21. club — for golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. coach — a trainer

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