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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 water is too ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stock — goods
  5. bulb — for light
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — for catching
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. content — the amount
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stock — shares
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. net — after costs
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. net — in sport
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bank — for money
  21. suit — clothes
  22. content — happy
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bank — for money

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