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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. club — a group
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. club — for golf
  7. scale — in music
  8. current — electric
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wake — a trail
  13. current — happening now
  14. stock — goods
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. capital — money
  17. bore — to tire
  18. capital — a city
  19. drill — army training
  20. club — for dancing
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stock — shares
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — size or range

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