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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rash — a series
  6. chest — a box
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chest — of your body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. club — a group
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — goods
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — money
  21. rest — a break
  22. stock — shares
  23. rest — what's left
  24. club — for golf

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