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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. content — happy
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — goods
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. present — there
  23. game — a match
  24. bank — of a river

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