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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. foot — a measure
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. sharp — clever
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rock — music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wind — moving air

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