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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bound — tied together
  3. roll — a list
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bound — certain
  6. roll — a cake
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stock — shares
  20. bound — obliged
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. can — a tin

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