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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rush — hurry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. sharp — clever
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stock — shares
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — of your body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chest — a box

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