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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — goods
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. content — the amount
  8. craft — boats
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — shares
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. scale — in music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — rain
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wound — an injury
  22. content — happy
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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