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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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Word bank
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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. drill — army training
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. root — of a word
  9. content — the amount
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. drill — a practice
  12. root — the cause
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. object — to protest
  16. key — for a lock
  17. object — an aim
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bass — the fish
  20. key — in music
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. key — the most important part
  23. object — a thing
  24. stock — a soup base

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