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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stock — shares
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rock — music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. capital — a city
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — of the year
  17. pass — a permit
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — in sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — money
  24. rock — a stone

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