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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — happy
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stock — goods
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cue — for pool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to click
  13. cue — a signal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. swing — in golf
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — the amount
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cue — a hint
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. content — videos and posts

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