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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. deal — to handle
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mark — a trace
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. file — a document
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stock — goods
  18. mark — a grade
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stock — shares
  24. bulb — for light

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