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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — farmland
  8. spell — magic
  9. current — happening now
  10. spell — letters
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — a subject
  13. foot — a measure
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stock — goods
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stock — shares
  20. vault — a safe
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. spell — a short time
  24. lie — an untruth

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