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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. club — for dancing
  3. capital — money
  4. track — a song
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. track — a path
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — a city
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. club — a group
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stock — shares
  24. track — to keep track

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