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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. deal — a big deal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. object — a thing
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. stock — shares
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stock — goods
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. race — a contest
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. content — happy
  20. race — humankind
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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