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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stock — goods
  7. mark — a trace
  8. capital — a city
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — shares
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. staff — employees
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. net — in sport
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mark — to pay attention

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