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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. capital — money
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. capital — a city
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stock — goods
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. fine — all right
  13. lean — thin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — to bend
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fine — high quality
  21. row — a line
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fine — a penalty

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