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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. snap — to click
  5. content — happy
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ground — a position
  22. stock — shares
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wax — in the ear

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