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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. key — the most important part
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. key — in music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stock — goods
  12. squash — to crush
  13. capital — a city
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — shares
  17. key — for a lock
  18. leaves — of a tree

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