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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cold — an illness
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stock — goods
  24. mug — to rob

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