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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. content — the amount
  3. face — to confront
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. face — to point toward
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. content — happy
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stock — goods
  18. face — part of the head
  19. clip — for paper
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. clip — a video
  24. leaves — to go away

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