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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — help
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mug — a face
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mug — a cup
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stock — shares
  12. suit — clothes
  13. key — for a lock
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — in music
  18. mug — to rob

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