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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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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hand — help
  5. stock — shares
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stock — goods
  8. hand — in cards
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. capital — money
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — a city
  16. suit — clothes
  17. fall — the season
  18. suit — in cards

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