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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stock — goods
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stock — shares
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. content — the amount
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. deal — to handle
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. content — happy
  24. row — a line

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