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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mark — a trace
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — happy
  15. root — of a word
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stock — shares
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stock — goods
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. content — the amount
  24. root — the cause

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