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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. charge — in control
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. season — of the year
  6. staff — a stick
  7. season — in sport
  8. content — the amount
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chest — a box
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. charge — a price
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — a container
  20. content — happy
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. charge — electricity

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