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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — music
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. content — happy
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mug — a face
  11. stock — goods
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — a skill
  15. season — in sport
  16. craft — boats
  17. march — the month
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — shares
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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