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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: dip · chest · calf · stock · board · content · mark · net

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. net — after costs
  3. content — happy
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. net — in sport
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stock — shares
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chest — a box
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. board — to get on
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a committee
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mark — to pay attention

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