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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. track — a path
  5. stock — shares
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. file — a document
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. charge — in control
  16. capital — money
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. snap — to click
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. track — a song
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stock — goods
  24. charge — a price

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