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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stock — shares
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bound — certain
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — music
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. swing — in golf

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