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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — a position
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stock — shares
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. scale — size or range
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — in music
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. capital — money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rock — music
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rock — a stone
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. dip — to sink
  23. root — the cause
  24. dip — a sauce

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