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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stock — shares
  5. ground — the earth
  6. march — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stock — goods
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. face — to confront
  19. scale — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. face — to point toward

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