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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — for digging
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stock — shares
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fine — high quality
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — a city
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. deal — to handle

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