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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — in music
  3. object — to protest
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cold — an illness
  6. capital — money
  7. ball — a great time
  8. foot — a measure
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stock — shares
  12. capital — a city
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. object — an aim
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ball — a dance
  19. object — a thing
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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