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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — certain
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fine — all right
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cue — a hint

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