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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — goods
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kick — in football
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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