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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. last — finally
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cue — a signal
  5. capital — a city
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — a hat
  8. last — final
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. cue — a hint
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. last — to go on
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — after costs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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