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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. club — a group
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. swing — music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — shares
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — from a university
  17. swing — in golf
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. club — for golf
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — for dancing
  23. capital — a city
  24. chair — a professorship

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