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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 · game · firm · stock · club · saw · rash · can

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. firm — decided
  3. club — for dancing
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rash — hasty
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. club — for golf
  10. stock — shares
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a match
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. firm — a company
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — steady
  22. club — a group
  23. stock — goods
  24. game — a kind of play

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