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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: stock · march · suit · bay · calf · track · capital · last

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. suit — clothes
  4. last — final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — shares
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — money
  16. track — a song
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. track — to keep track
  19. march — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. stock — goods
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. suit — in cards
  24. last — finally

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