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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — goods
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fork — in a road
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. stock — shares
  17. ground — the earth
  18. sharp — clever
  19. object — a thing
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — crushed
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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