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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. content — the amount
  6. stock — shares
  7. kick — in football
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — a coil
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bound — certain
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. content — happy
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — the season
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bass — low music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kick — with a leg

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