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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. capital — a city
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — the most important part
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. key — in music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. content — the amount
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. content — happy
  21. key — for a lock
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. capital — money
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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