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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — boats
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. deal — to handle
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — to sink
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stock — goods
  19. sharp — clever
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. craft — a skill

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