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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. kid — to tease
  6. clip — to cut
  7. face — to confront
  8. stock — shares
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bear — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bear — the animal
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. snap — to click
  22. stock — goods
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. kid — child

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