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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · last · snap · stock · capital · mate

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — to breed
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — shares
  6. last — finally
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. capital — money
  10. last — final
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — a city
  18. mate — a partner

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