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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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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: mate · mark · land · rest · content · stock · kick · patient

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. content — the amount
  3. rest — a break
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mark — a grade
  9. land — a country
  10. content — happy
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — to breed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stock — goods
  19. mark — a trace
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — shares
  24. rest — what's left

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