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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. suit — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — a city
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. chest — of your body
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mark — a grade
  14. suit — clothes
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stock — shares
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rock — music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chest — a box

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