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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. charge — electricity
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stock — shares
  8. game — a match
  9. charge — in control
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. branch — a division
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — clever
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mark — a trace
  21. charge — a price
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. game — wild animals
  24. suit — clothes

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