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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 120 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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. content — happy
  8. pitch — completely
  9. content — the amount
  10. club — for dancing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — music
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. club — for golf
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stock — goods
  19. branch — a division
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. club — a group
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. branch — of a tree

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