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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. suit — in cards
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. suit — clothes
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — shares
  14. toast — bread
  15. drill — a practice
  16. prune — to trim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. drill — army training
  22. suit — to fit
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — of ice

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