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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. capital — money
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — a hat
  10. content — the amount
  11. stock — shares
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. content — happy
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. swing — in golf
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. file — a tool

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