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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — in music
  5. last — finally
  6. content — happy
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stock — shares
  10. content — the amount
  11. stock — goods
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. branch — a division
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. last — final
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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