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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — completely
  8. swing — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. sharp — clever
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. pop — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. snap — to click
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stock — goods
  22. swing — to play on
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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