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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stock — shares
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — a face
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rash — a series
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. face — to confront
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mug — a cup
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the sport
  23. sharp — clever
  24. face — to point toward

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