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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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 — a soup base
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. court — of law
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — from a university
  8. content — the amount
  9. court — of a king
  10. degree — an amount
  11. court — for sport
  12. degree — temperature
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. root — of a word
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — the cause
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. root — of a plant
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stock — goods
  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