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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — goods
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stock — shares
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. land — ground
  20. capital — a city
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. land — a country

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