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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — happy
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stock — goods
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. content — the amount
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bat — the animal
  16. suit — clothes
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rush — hurry
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a match
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — shares
  24. content — videos and posts

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