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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. swing — music
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. capital — money
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stock — shares
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. tube — a container
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. capital — a city
  17. toast — bread
  18. swing — in golf
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. swing — to play on
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stock — goods

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