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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. staff — employees
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — shares
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stock — goods
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. wake — a trail
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. capital — money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rest — a break
  24. saw — the tool

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