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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. capital — a city
  5. file — a document
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. file — a tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. net — for catching
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. net — after costs
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. stock — shares
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. capital — money
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. net — in sport
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ruler — for measuring

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