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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stock — shares
  6. capital — a city
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stock — goods
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kick — in football
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — a box
  21. rash — a series
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — money
  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