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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. root — the cause
  8. stock — shares
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. capital — a city
  11. mug — a face
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stock — goods
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. root — of a word
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. plane — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. mug — to rob
  24. plane — an aircraft

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