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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wind — moving air
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mug — a face
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — the amount
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rush — a thrill

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