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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rock — music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rash — a series
  15. court — of law
  16. stem — to come from
  17. content — the amount
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — goods
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. content — happy
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — magic
  24. rock — to move gently

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