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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pop — music
  7. capital — a city
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. land — to come down
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. capital — money
  22. stock — shares
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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