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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. toast — bread
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. capital — a city
  7. ground — a position
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. capital — money
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. track — a song
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fine — all right
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stock — shares
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stock — goods

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