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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 120 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: ball · fine · bass · stock · charge · wake · snap · capital

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. ball — a great time
  3. stock — shares
  4. capital — money
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bass — low music
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. snap — to click
  12. charge — a price
  13. fine — all right
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bass — the fish
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stock — goods
  20. charge — electricity
  21. ball — a dance
  22. charge — in control
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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