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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: mouse · capital · stock · race · rest · fine · mine · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stock — goods
  3. mine — for digging
  4. race — a contest
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. capital — a city
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — humankind
  12. rest — a break
  13. fine — all right
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — money
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fine — high quality

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