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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — hurry
  4. craft — boats
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stock — shares
  10. tube — the underground
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bass — low music
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. snap — to click
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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