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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cap — a lid
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. capital — a city
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — low music
  14. cap — of ice
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. root — of a word
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bass — the fish
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — music
  22. root — the cause
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — a 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