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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. capital — a city
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stock — goods
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. capital — money
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stock — shares
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. sharp — clever

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