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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — a city
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — happy
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — a series
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. content — the amount
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stock — shares

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