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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. land — a country
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rock — music
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. land — to come down
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — help
  23. land — ground
  24. lean — thin

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