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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stock — goods
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — crushed
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ground — a position
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. stock — shares
  23. shower — rain
  24. content — happy

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