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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: court · cap · sharp · capital · bank · stock · pass · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. court — of a king
  9. capital — a city
  10. bank — for money
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — for sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. sharp — clever
  16. court — of law
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cap — a hat
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stock — shares
  22. capital — money
  23. bank — for money
  24. pass — a permit

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