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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stock — shares
  3. tube — a container
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. capital — money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — goods
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. capital — a city
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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