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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. capital — money
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fall — the season
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. file — a tool
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. dip — to sink
  21. capital — a city
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. file — a document

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