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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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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pit — in a race
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stock — goods
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. firm — decided
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. content — the amount
  16. firm — steady
  17. suit — to fit
  18. content — happy
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. suit — in cards
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stock — shares

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