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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ground — crushed
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — a position
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. content — happy
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. object — an aim
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stock — shares
  16. ground — the earth
  17. capital — money
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. object — to protest
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. capital — a city
  23. content — the amount
  24. rash — on the skin

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