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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. spell — letters
  3. court — of law
  4. track — to keep track
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — a hint
  8. content — the amount
  9. court — of a king
  10. track — a song
  11. content — happy
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spell — magic
  20. track — a path
  21. stock — shares
  22. cue — for pool
  23. snap — to click
  24. stock — goods

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