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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. capital — money
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stock — shares
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — to drill
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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