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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kick — in football
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ground — crushed
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ground — a position
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. squash — the vegetable

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