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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. object — a thing
  4. root — the cause
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — to go on
  9. object — an aim
  10. content — the amount
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. last — final
  13. object — to protest
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stock — shares
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. content — happy
  23. stock — goods
  24. root — of a plant

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