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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. suit — to fit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. race — the arms race
  6. tube — a container
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — the underground
  9. club — for golf
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — money
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. suit — clothes
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. tear — from crying
  20. suit — in cards
  21. stock — shares
  22. tear — to rip
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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