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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. bank — for money
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bank — of a river
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. tube — a container
  11. stock — shares
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bank — for money
  24. racket — for tennis

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