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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · squash · lash · stock · clip · pound · sharp · firm

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. content — happy
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. clip — a video
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. firm — steady
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. squash — to crush
  21. firm — a company
  22. clip — to cut
  23. firm — decided
  24. content — the amount

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