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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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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chip — for betting
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. land — a country
  14. stock — shares
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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