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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: hand · mark · board · fan · stock · straw · object · capital

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. capital — money
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. board — a committee
  18. stock — goods
  19. capital — a city
  20. object — to protest
  21. hand — help
  22. object — a thing
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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