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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stock — goods
  3. kid — child
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. capital — money
  6. rock — music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rock — a stone
  11. current — electric
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — shares
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mug — a cup
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — of water
  24. root — the cause

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