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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. present — a gift
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cell — in biology
  6. snap — to click
  7. rash — a series
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. present — there
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — clever
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — goods
  19. can — a tin
  20. present — the time now
  21. game — a match
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — shares
  24. cell — a phone

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