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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. object — to protest
  4. fine — all right
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. capital — money
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — shares
  21. object — an aim
  22. fine — high quality
  23. object — a thing
  24. tube — in a tire

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