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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: rush · stock · lie · net · date · chair · capital · board

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. net — in sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — goods
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rush — hurry
  17. date — the fruit
  18. net — after costs
  19. stock — shares
  20. net — for catching
  21. board — to get on
  22. capital — money
  23. date — on the calendar
  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