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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bank — for money
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stock — goods
  8. bank — of a river
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — after costs
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — in sport
  22. march — music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — a hole

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