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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stock — shares
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chest — a box
  9. file — a tool
  10. stock — goods
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. content — happy
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — tied together
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bass — low music

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