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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stock — goods
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — there
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pop — music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. present — the time now
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pop — soda
  15. content — happy
  16. present — a gift
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stock — shares
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. squash — to crush

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