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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rash — hasty
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stock — goods
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — happy
  17. rash — a series
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stock — shares
  24. racket — for tennis

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