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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tube — a container
  3. game — wild animals
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. game — a match
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stock — shares
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stock — goods
  16. content — happy
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. branch — a division
  24. content — the amount

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