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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 124 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. drill — army training
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a line of people
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. file — a document
  11. lie — to recline
  12. file — a tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wave — of the sea

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