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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spring — the season
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. swing — music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rock — a stone
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — shares
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spring — a coil
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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