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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. capital — a city
  4. field — a subject
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mug — to rob
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. field — farmland
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — a cup
  13. content — happy
  14. mug — a face
  15. capital — money
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mark — a trace
  18. field — for sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. content — the amount
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stock — goods
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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