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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. band — a ring
  4. charge — a price
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. track — a song
  7. content — the amount
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. charge — electricity
  11. capital — money
  12. stock — shares
  13. track — to keep track
  14. band — a music group
  15. capital — a city
  16. date — the fruit
  17. track — a path
  18. content — happy
  19. charge — in control
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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