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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. content — the amount
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stock — shares
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — after costs
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — for catching
  15. dip — to sink
  16. content — happy
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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