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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. content — happy
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mug — a face
  9. capital — a city
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. content — the amount
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — money
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stock — shares
  22. squash — to crush
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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