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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. band — a ring
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stock — shares
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — goods
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — an explosive

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