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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. present — the time now
  6. stock — shares
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cap — of ice
  11. content — the amount
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wind — moving air
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cap — a lid
  18. present — a gift
  19. stock — goods
  20. content — happy
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. present — there
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cap — a hat

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