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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rock — music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. tube — a container
  5. pop — music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. firm — a company
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. tube — the underground
  12. staff — a stick
  13. firm — decided
  14. stock — goods
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. firm — steady
  17. stock — shares
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. content — the amount
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — a stone

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