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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stock — shares
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. field — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. land — a country
  14. content — the amount
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bass — the fish
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stock — goods
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fine — all right
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — happy

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