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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. can — to be able to
  3. capital — money
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stock — shares
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — an amount
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cue — for pool
  20. capital — a city
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stock — goods
  24. nail — for a hammer

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