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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. snap — to click
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. content — happy
  9. rock — music
  10. lean — thin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. content — the amount
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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