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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stock — goods
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. date — the fruit
  5. clip — for paper
  6. capital — a city
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. race — the arms race
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stock — shares
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. mug — a face
  16. mate — to breed
  17. clip — a video
  18. race — humankind
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — money
  24. race — a contest

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