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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. spring — the season
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. charge — a price
  9. stock — goods
  10. court — of law
  11. stock — shares
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. content — happy
  15. court — for sport
  16. charge — in control
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. court — of a king
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spring — of water
  23. charge — electricity
  24. spring — a coil

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