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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · content · scale · root · deal · mine · stock · last

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. last — final
  8. scale — in music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. deal — to handle
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. content — the amount
  18. stock — goods
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. last — to go on
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. stock — shares

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