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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: jam · content · wind · file · craft · bay · stock · date

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — shares
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. file — a document
  7. stock — goods
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. file — a line of people
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. date — the fruit
  16. content — happy
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. craft — boats
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. craft — a skill
  23. content — videos and posts
  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