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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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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: track · stock · firm · shower · content · mine · fork · bay

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. firm — a company
  8. track — a song
  9. content — happy
  10. track — to keep track
  11. firm — decided
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. track — a path
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stock — goods
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. stock — shares
  24. bay — a horse colour

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