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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wake — a trail
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stock — goods
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. can — a tin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stock — shares
  22. face — to point toward
  23. capital — money
  24. pitcher — a jug

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