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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stock — goods
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — final
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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