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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stock — shares
  4. court — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — low music
  9. stock — goods
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of a king
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a tool
  14. court — of law
  15. content — the amount
  16. can — to be able to
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. bass — the fish
  20. firm — steady
  21. can — a tin
  22. firm — decided
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — a company

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