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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stock — goods
  9. capital — money
  10. lean — to bend
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. club — for golf
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lean — thin
  16. capital — a city
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chest — of your body
  22. club — a group
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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