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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. date — the fruit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. can — a tin
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bear — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stock — goods
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cap — a hat
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. can — a tin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. shower — rain

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