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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stock — goods
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — size or range
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bear — the animal
  10. root — the cause
  11. bear — the animal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. scale — in music
  14. can — a tin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. root — of a word
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. can — to be able to
  22. content — the amount
  23. stock — shares
  24. can — a tin

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