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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — moving air
  13. capital — money
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — goods
  20. pop — music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. capital — a city
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — soda

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