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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: rash · stock · tube · present · capital · sharp · straw · fan

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rash — hasty
  3. capital — a city
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. present — a gift
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stock — shares
  12. tube — a container
  13. present — the time now
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tube — the underground
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. sharp — with an edge

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