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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cell — a phone
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — magic
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — goods
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stand — to bear
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — a city
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spell — letters
  18. perch — the fish
  19. staff — employees
  20. capital — money
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cell — in biology
  24. staff — a stick

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