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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pit — in a race
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spring — of water
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. spring — the season
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — a coil
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pit — a hole

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