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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — goods
  3. staff — employees
  4. ball — a dance
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — a stick
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. capital — money
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. track — a path
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — to keep track
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — a song
  20. ball — a great time
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. dip — to sink
  24. capital — a big letter

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