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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. content — happy
  3. press — to push
  4. stock — shares
  5. scale — size or range
  6. content — the amount
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pit — in a race
  11. firm — steady
  12. chest — a box
  13. scale — in music
  14. stock — goods
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. firm — a company
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bulb — for light
  23. press — a publisher
  24. chest — of your body

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