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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rest — a break
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — a match
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bass — low music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — shares
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. sharp — clever
  16. content — happy
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stock — goods
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — the instrument

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