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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. shower — rain
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — a break
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — to recline
  15. content — happy
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — the earth
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — a position
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. march — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ground — crushed

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