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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mug — to rob
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — goods
  13. can — a tin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stock — shares
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. foot — a measure
  19. root — the cause
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wave — with your hand

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