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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · deal · content · kid · stock · key · hand · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. content — happy
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. key — in music
  8. suit — to fit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. key — for a lock
  11. kid — child
  12. stock — goods
  13. kid — to tease
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. suit — in cards
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hand — help
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. content — the amount
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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