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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. swing — music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — goods
  15. kick — in football
  16. swing — to play on
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stock — shares
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fine — all right
  24. stock — a soup base

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