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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ground — a position
  3. stock — goods
  4. land — to come down
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. can — a tin
  13. content — the amount
  14. land — ground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. land — a country
  18. stock — shares
  19. can — to be able to
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. content — happy

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