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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 120 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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — in cards
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. drill — the tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. suit — to fit
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — army training
  16. capital — money
  17. stock — shares
  18. wind — moving air
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stock — goods
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. capital — a city
  24. foot — the bottom

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