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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ 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. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — shares
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — goods
  9. hand — in cards
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — the amount
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to click
  18. 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