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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. hand — in cards
  4. capital — money
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. court — of law
  9. capital — a city
  10. current — happening now
  11. court — of a king
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stock — goods
  22. mug — a face
  23. hand — help
  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