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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fork — in a road
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. last — final
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. stock — goods
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stock — shares
  16. suit — in cards
  17. present — there
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. wind — moving air
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. present — the time now
  24. bear — the animal

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