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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: object · face · game · cap · content · stock · stick · bat

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. content — the amount
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stock — shares
  5. object — an aim
  6. game — a match
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. object — a thing
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. stock — goods
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. content — happy
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cap — a hat

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