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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stock — shares
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. sharp — clever
  7. file — a tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. present — there
  10. mark — a grade
  11. dip — to sink
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — goods
  14. file — a document
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mark — a trace
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. present — a gift
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. present — the time now
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. file — a line of people

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