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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stock — goods
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fall — the season
  5. rule — government
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. capital — money
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rule — a law
  16. shower — to wash
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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