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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. game — a match
  5. stock — goods
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. track — a song
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. swing — in golf
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — wild animals
  16. object — a thing
  17. swing — to play on
  18. kid — child
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. swing — music
  23. sharp — exactly
  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