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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. capital — a city
  5. drill — the tool
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fine — high quality
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. capital — money
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fine — all right
  15. stock — shares
  16. drill — a practice
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stock — goods

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