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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stock — shares
  6. sharp — clever
  7. row — to paddle
  8. press — to push
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. object — a thing
  11. mark — a trace
  12. row — a line
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mark — a grade
  15. object — to protest
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. object — an aim
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stock — goods
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. press — a publisher
  24. deal — to handle

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