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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. suit — to fit
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ground — a position
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hand — help
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. suit — clothes
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stock — shares
  15. capital — money
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fine — high quality
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — crushed
  23. suit — in cards
  24. hand — in cards

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