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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cap — a hat
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — of water
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spell — letters
  9. present — there
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spell — a short time
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. present — the time now
  15. capital — a city
  16. spring — the season
  17. stock — shares
  18. present — a gift
  19. stock — goods
  20. spell — magic
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. capital — money
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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