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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. content — the amount
  8. suit — clothes
  9. stock — goods
  10. wax — to grow
  11. suit — in cards
  12. current — electric
  13. chest — a box
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chest — of your body
  17. dip — to sink
  18. stock — shares
  19. current — of water
  20. content — happy
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. dip — a sauce

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