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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 124 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. capital — money
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. capital — a city
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. club — for golf
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. drill — army training
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. club — for dancing
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. club — a group
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — the tool
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rash — hasty

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