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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pit — in a race
  10. shower — rain
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. sharp — clever
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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