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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stock — shares
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. coach — a trainer

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