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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. clip — for paper
  7. club — for golf
  8. pop — music
  9. club — a group
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cue — for pool
  15. content — happy
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — goods
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. club — for dancing
  22. content — the amount
  23. stock — shares
  24. cue — a signal

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