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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — soda
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — goods
  9. capital — money
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rash — a series
  12. capital — a city
  13. rash — hasty
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pop — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — a container
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pop — to visit
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bulb — for light

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