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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — goods
  3. content — happy
  4. snap — to click
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stock — shares
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fan — a supporter

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