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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pass — a permit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rock — music
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. capital — a city
  15. rock — a stone
  16. capital — money
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stock — shares
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. row — a line
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. leaves — to go away

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