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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. capital — money
  4. tube — the underground
  5. roll — a cake
  6. capital — a city
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. stock — goods
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stock — shares
  12. ground — the earth
  13. tube — a container
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — crushed
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. current — happening now
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. current — electric
  22. deal — to handle
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ground — a position

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