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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. mug — to rob
  6. capital — money
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. capital — a city
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mug — a face
  21. stock — shares
  22. file — a tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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