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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: court · capital · spell · rock · lie · mark · snap · stock

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rock — a stone
  4. capital — a city
  5. lie — to recline
  6. court — for sport
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. capital — money
  9. spell — magic
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of a king
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spell — letters
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. court — of law
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — music

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