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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rock — a stone
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rock — music
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — a city
  8. stock — goods
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pass — a permit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bank — for money
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. shower — rain
  23. capital — money
  24. stock — shares

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