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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — in sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. march — the month
  6. content — happy
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. march — music
  10. kick — in football
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — after costs
  13. stock — goods
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — hurry
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. content — the amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. net — for catching

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