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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. shower — rain
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cue — for pool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stock — goods
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stock — shares
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — a video

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