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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pop — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. pop — to visit
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. pop — soda
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bore — to drill
  17. content — happy
  18. scale — in music

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