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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. capital — a city
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hand — help
  7. pass — a permit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pop — soda
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stock — shares
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. capital — money
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. date — the fruit
  24. prune — the fruit

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