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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. row — to paddle
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. content — happy
  9. bank — for money
  10. content — the amount
  11. snap — to click
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. scale — in music

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