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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. pit — in a race
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stock — shares
  7. wake — a trail
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — happy
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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