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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rule — a law
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — money
  8. cell — a phone
  9. capital — a city
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rash — a series
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stock — shares
  18. rule — government
  19. tear — to rip
  20. toast — bread
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rash — hasty
  24. foot — a measure

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