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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rash — a series
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stock — shares
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — goods
  13. content — happy
  14. present — there
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. content — the amount
  20. bank — of a river
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. cabinet — ministers

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