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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — shares
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. band — a music group
  17. kick — in football
  18. bank — for money
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. content — happy
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. band — a ring

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