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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — humankind
  6. ball — a great time
  7. capital — money
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. race — a contest
  11. stock — goods
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lie — to recline
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bowl — to roll

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