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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 120 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: hide · tear · cue · last · stock · content · capital · fine

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. fine — all right
  5. capital — a city
  6. cue — a signal
  7. stock — shares
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — the amount
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cue — for pool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. capital — money
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — final
  23. hide — animal skin
  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