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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bore — to tire
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mug — a face
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — shares
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — in sport
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — for catching
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mark — a grade
  24. net — after costs

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