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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chip — for betting
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. race — humankind
  13. stock — shares
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stock — goods
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fall — the season
  24. capital — money

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