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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stock — goods
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — money
  5. firm — decided
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — to keep track
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. cap — of ice
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — a song
  15. snap — to click
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — shares
  21. firm — a company
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cap — a hat
  24. firm — steady

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