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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — army training
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mate — a friend
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mate — a partner
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — to confront
  14. mate — to breed
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pound — for dogs

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