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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. capital — money
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. land — a country
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. capital — a city
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — employees
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. land — to come down
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stock — goods
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — a soup base

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