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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. content — the amount
  7. stock — goods
  8. current — happening now
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. content — happy
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. current — of water
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — help
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stock — shares
  22. current — electric
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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