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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rule — a law
  6. stand — to bear
  7. capital — money
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — in sport
  11. capital — a city
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rule — government
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stock — goods
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stock — shares

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