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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — to come from
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stock — goods
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stem — of a plant

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