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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — money
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. staff — employees
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — a stick
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. capital — a city
  16. spell — letters
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. spell — magic

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