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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — shares
  4. season — of the year
  5. capital — money
  6. wax — to grow
  7. drill — army training
  8. present — there
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stock — goods
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rule — a law
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. present — a gift
  19. drill — a practice
  20. season — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. capital — a city
  24. stock — a soup base

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