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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. club — for golf
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. capital — money
  9. lean — thin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. band — a music group
  13. club — a group
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — of ice
  17. capital — a city
  18. cap — a hat
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lean — to rest against

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