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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. object — a thing
  3. spell — letters
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. staff — employees
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. pass — a permit
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stock — shares
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spell — a short time
  16. content — the amount
  17. object — an aim
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. object — to protest
  21. stock — goods
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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