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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · tube · stock · fall · perch · mine · chair · capital

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — money
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fine — all right
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fine — high quality
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. capital — a city
  23. stock — goods
  24. fall — the season

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