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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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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ball — a dance
  6. race — a contest
  7. content — happy
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — the amount
  11. toast — bread
  12. race — humankind
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stock — shares
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. content — videos and posts

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