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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stock — shares
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mug — to rob
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. capital — money
  12. can — a tin
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. mug — a face
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mug — a cup

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