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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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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stock — goods
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stock — shares
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. row — to paddle
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rock — music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. row — a line
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. content — happy

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