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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stock — goods
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. object — an aim
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. object — a thing
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cue — for pool
  17. object — to protest
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cue — a signal

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