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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fork — in a road
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — a song
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — goods
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stock — shares
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. track — to keep track
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. track — a path
  23. stock — a soup base
  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