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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bound — tied together
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. shower — rain
  13. stock — shares
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bound — certain
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. lean — thin

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