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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stock — shares
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. capital — a city
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stock — goods
  9. club — for dancing
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pit — in a race
  12. club — a group
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. club — for golf
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — money
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pit — a hole
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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