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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 120 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. staff — employees
  3. land — ground
  4. file — a tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. file — a document
  7. tube — a container
  8. capital — a city
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. staff — a stick
  12. capital — money
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bass — low music
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stock — goods
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stock — a soup base

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