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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stock — goods
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — a container
  5. face — to point toward
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. spell — letters
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — to confront
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. capital — money
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — a city
  24. spell — magic

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