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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fall — the season
  3. lean — thin
  4. stock — goods
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spell — magic
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stock — shares
  17. capital — money
  18. spell — letters
  19. firm — steady
  20. spell — a short time
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. capital — a big letter

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