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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — a series
  4. stock — shares
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. board — a committee
  11. bat — the animal
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. board — to get on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. capital — money
  19. rash — hasty
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. stock — goods
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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