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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. bound — tied together
  5. capital — a city
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rash — a series
  10. current — electric
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — shares
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bound — certain
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. current — of water

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