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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 124 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — a subject
  7. stock — shares
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stock — goods
  10. field — for sport
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rush — to hurry

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