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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 water is too ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. board — to get on
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mark — a trace
  8. board — a committee
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mark — a grade
  18. sharp — clever
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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