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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: sharp · can · stock · pit · fall · clip · hand · capital

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — goods
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stock — shares
  8. clip — a video
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. hand — in cards
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — clever
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fall — to drop
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hand — help
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — to be able to

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