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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mug — a face
  5. file — a tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. land — to come down
  8. stock — goods
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. land — a country
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. can — a tin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — a city
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. capital — money
  21. stock — shares
  22. bulb — for light
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. land — ground

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