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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. capital — a city
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — goods
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — in music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — money
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. root — of a word
  13. object — to protest
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. face — to confront
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — steady
  19. object — a thing
  20. firm — decided
  21. root — the cause
  22. object — an aim
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — a company

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