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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bank — for money
  3. firm — steady
  4. capital — a city
  5. bank — for money
  6. content — happy
  7. drill — a practice
  8. firm — a company
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stock — shares
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fine — all right
  14. drill — army training
  15. firm — decided
  16. capital — money
  17. stock — goods
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — the amount
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bulb — of a plant

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