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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stock — shares
  10. content — happy
  11. race — a contest
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — a lid
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fine — all right
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cap — a hat
  20. race — humankind
  21. content — the amount
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stock — a soup base

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