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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. object — an aim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — money
  8. fall — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. march — music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. object — a thing
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — shares
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. object — to protest

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