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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — all right
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stock — shares
  10. fine — high quality
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rule — a law
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chest — a box

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