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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.

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: capital · mouse · degree · date · stock · fall · jam · safe

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fall — the season
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — money
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. degree — an amount
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. degree — from a university
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. capital — a city
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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