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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — for paper
  4. content — happy
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — to bear
  9. content — the amount
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. clip — to cut
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. charge — a price
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. content — videos and posts

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