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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — all right
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — shares
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — goods
  19. sharp — clever
  20. staff — a stick
  21. swing — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. swing — to play on

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