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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. content — the amount
  4. key — in music
  5. capital — money
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. key — the most important part
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. capital — a city
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — happy
  15. stock — shares
  16. key — for a lock
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stock — goods
  20. game — a match
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mouse — the animal

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