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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stock — shares
  6. stand — to bear
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. content — happy
  13. capital — a city
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pop — to visit
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — money
  22. stock — goods
  23. content — the amount
  24. tear — from crying

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