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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kick — in football
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pop — soda
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pop — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stock — goods
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pop — to visit
  24. content — the amount

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