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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — happy
  4. stock — shares
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. club — a group
  11. root — of a word
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stock — goods
  16. wound — an injury
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. root — the cause
  19. club — for golf
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bank — for money

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