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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. suit — to fit
  3. capital — money
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. face — to confront
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. face — part of the head
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. drill — a practice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. suit — in cards
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. suit — clothes
  24. nail — for a hammer

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