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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: capital · calf · stock · sharp · mark · face · pit · jam

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. face — to point toward
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. stock — shares
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — a trace
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mark — a grade
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. face — to confront
  22. stock — goods
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. capital — a city

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