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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — goods
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — finally
  8. firm — a company
  9. root — of a word
  10. stock — shares
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. firm — steady
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. firm — decided
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. capital — money
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. last — final

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