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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. kick — in football
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — a song
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. content — happy
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — in golf
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. track — a path
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — crushed
  22. swing — to play on
  23. charge — electricity
  24. swing — music

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