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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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cue — a signal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stock — shares
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. cue — a hint
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — music
  17. cue — for pool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — soda
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pop — to visit

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