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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — clever
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stock — shares
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bank — for money
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rock — music
  24. sharp — exactly

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