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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stock — goods
  5. tube — a container
  6. dip — to sink
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. march — music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bowl — a dish

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