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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kick — in football
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — music
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. sharp — clever
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — goods
  16. branch — a division
  17. can — a tin
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. can — to be able to
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stock — shares
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. march — the month

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