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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rule — a law
  3. stock — goods
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — a match
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rule — government
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. game — wild animals
  24. vault — a safe

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