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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — thin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — shares
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — a break
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. club — a group
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fine — high quality
  12. club — for golf
  13. stock — goods
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — for dancing
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fine — all right
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. capital — money

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