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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. track — a song
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stock — shares
  10. fall — the season
  11. track — to keep track
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fork — in a road
  18. track — a path
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fall — to drop

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