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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. content — happy
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stock — shares
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — to drill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — an amount

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