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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: mark · pit · tear · stick · swing · date · content · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pit — a hole
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mark — a trace
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. swing — music
  18. content — happy
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. date — the fruit
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — the amount
  24. mark — a grade

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