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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. perch — the fish
  7. key — the most important part
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — for a lock
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. capital — a city
  17. hand — in cards
  18. capital — money
  19. key — in music
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cap — of ice
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. sharp — clever

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