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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · jam · cell · content · stock · bore · track · nail

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. content — the amount
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stock — goods
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cell — in biology
  11. track — a song
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — shares
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — happy
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bore — to tire
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cold — an illness

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