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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. net — after costs
  6. fine — high quality
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fine — all right
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stock — shares
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. net — for catching
  14. content — happy
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. jam — a tight spot

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