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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — happy
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. suit — clothes
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — goods
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stock — shares
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pop — music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. suit — in cards
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. suit — to fit
  23. capital — a city
  24. pop — to visit

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