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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: spell · cap · stock · fall · wind · bay · capital · stick

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — money
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — a hat
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stock — goods
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spell — letters
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spell — magic

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