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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — shares
  4. club — a group
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cap — a lid
  10. club — for dancing
  11. shower — rain
  12. club — for golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lean — thin
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fall — the season
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stock — goods
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. last — to go on
  24. content — happy

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