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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stock — shares
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mug — a face
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — goods
  15. mug — a cup
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. branch — a division
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. content — the amount
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — final
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mug — to rob

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