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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rash — a series
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stock — shares
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stock — goods
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rest — a break

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