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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stock — goods
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cap — a hat
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ground — a position
  12. capital — money
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stand — to bear
  21. capital — a city
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stock — shares
  24. capital — a big letter

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