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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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. content — the amount
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stock — shares
  13. wind — moving air
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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