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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — a law
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. squash — the sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bass — low music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. track — a path
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. content — happy
  21. track — a song
  22. content — the amount
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bowl — a dish

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