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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. last — to go on
  3. object — an aim
  4. pop — music
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. root — the cause
  8. object — to protest
  9. swing — music
  10. last — finally
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. object — a thing
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — of a word
  16. content — the amount
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. content — happy
  19. root — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. pop — to visit
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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