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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bank — of a river
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. stock — goods
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — for money
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. capital — money
  14. stock — shares
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pit — in a race
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bank — for money
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. land — a country
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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