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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. snap — to click
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. season — of the year
  5. squash — the sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rush — hurry
  13. charge — electricity
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — in sport
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. charge — in control
  23. sharp — clever
  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