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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. content — happy
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stock — shares
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to click
  17. bore — to tire
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stock — goods
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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