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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rest — what's left
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. land — to come down
  12. rest — a break
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rest — what's left
  18. content — happy
  19. stock — shares
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. content — the amount
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. land — a country

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