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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. content — happy
  3. ground — a position
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mate — a partner
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mate — to breed
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stock — shares
  19. content — the amount
  20. can — a tin
  21. club — a group
  22. stock — goods
  23. mate — a friend
  24. club — for golf

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