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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. degree — from a university
  5. clip — for paper
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stock — shares
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. degree — temperature
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. staff — employees
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — goods
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. clip — a video
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — music
  24. spell — letters

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