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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lean — thin
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stock — shares
  6. cap — a lid
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. rash — a series
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — a hat
  22. capital — money
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitcher — a jug

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