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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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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: content · mate · tube · race · stock · bay · pound · bear

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stock — goods
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. race — humankind
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stock — shares
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. tube — a container
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mate — to breed
  23. content — the amount
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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