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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — shares
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lie — to recline
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bank — of a river
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bank — for money
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. nail — for a hammer

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