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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — goods
  6. track — to keep track
  7. snap — to click
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — a path
  10. bore — to drill
  11. track — a song
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bank — for money
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stock — shares
  21. hand — help
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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