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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — soda
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. capital — a city
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stock — shares
  9. pop — to visit
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stock — goods
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mug — a face
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — money
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pop — music

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