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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — a position
  4. bank — for money
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stock — goods
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. ground — crushed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — shares
  14. face — to point toward
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pound — a weight
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — the earth

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