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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — a box
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. suit — to fit
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ground — the earth
  10. suit — clothes
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a face
  13. stock — shares
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. ground — a position
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stock — goods
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wound — an injury

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