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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mate — to breed
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pit — in a race
  18. content — the amount
  19. stock — shares
  20. chip — to eat
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — a professorship

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