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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: cap · pit · race · bat · capital · wave · lie · stock

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stock — goods
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pit — a hole
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stock — shares
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. capital — a city
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. capital — money
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lie — an untruth

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