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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. ground — crushed
  5. track — a song
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. content — happy
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. content — the amount
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cue — a signal
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — child
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ground — a position

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