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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 116 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: swing · mine · capital · wake · cabinet · stock · pit · nail

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stock — shares
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stock — goods
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. capital — a city
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wake — a trail

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