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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. suit — clothes
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. rule — government
  10. ground — the earth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rule — a law
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. track — a song
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. track — a path
  22. stock — shares
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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