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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stock — shares
  7. mine — for digging
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. content — the amount
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. content — happy
  16. pit — a hole
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. track — a path

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