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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pitch — completely
  3. capital — a city
  4. stock — goods
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stock — shares
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. net — after costs
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  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