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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. content — happy
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cap — a lid
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — a container
  11. march — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stock — shares
  15. march — the month
  16. stock — goods
  17. content — the amount
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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