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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — shares
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — goods
  7. charge — electricity
  8. file — a line of people
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. capital — money
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. file — a tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. capital — a city
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. charge — in control
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a document
  24. wax — in the ear

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