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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: capital · rule · game · pit · net · stock · object · bound

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. pit — in a race
  5. net — after costs
  6. stock — shares
  7. game — a match
  8. net — in sport
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rule — a law
  18. object — to protest
  19. game — wild animals
  20. object — a thing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — a city
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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