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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: staff · sharp · arm · hand · band · stock · content · deal

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — the amount
  3. deal — to handle
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. content — happy
  9. band — a ring
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stock — goods
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. staff — employees
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. sharp — clever

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