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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — money
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. file — a document
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — shares
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ground — a position
  18. file — a tool

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