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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kid — child
  5. stock — shares
  6. bore — to tire
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stock — goods
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. kid — to tease
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. rule — to rule out

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