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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mate — a friend
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. capital — a city
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. row — a line
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. capital — money
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fine — all right
  14. stock — shares
  15. row — to paddle
  16. snap — to click
  17. stock — goods
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mate — to breed

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