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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stock — shares
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. root — the cause
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. root — of a word
  11. present — there
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pop — soda
  16. present — a gift
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. present — the time now
  20. pop — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. root — of a plant
  24. sharp — with an edge

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