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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. field — farmland
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stock — goods
  6. hand — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. suit — to fit
  10. hand — help
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cue — for pool
  13. field — a subject
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — for sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chip — to eat

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