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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. object — a thing
  3. fine — all right
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. content — happy
  6. fine — high quality
  7. game — a match
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. game — wild animals
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stock — shares
  18. row — a line
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. mug — a face
  22. stock — goods
  23. row — to paddle
  24. content — the amount

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