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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stock — shares
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. clip — a video
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. content — happy
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pass — a permit
  15. tube — a container
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — the earth
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — employees

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