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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mug — a cup
  5. board — to get on
  6. content — the amount
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — goods
  10. spell — magic
  11. mug — a face
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chest — of your body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. board — a committee
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. spell — a short time
  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